Spain has been severely affected by a rampant wildfire in the rural province of Lleida, Catalonia, which resulted in the deaths of two people – a farmer and one of his workers – who were caught trying to flee their farm.
The blaze, fuelled by an ongoing European heatwave, spread at an exceptionally fast rate of 28 km/h at one point and consumed around 6,500 hectares of mostly farmland.
Whilst the fire has largely been brought under control, partly due to a timely rainstorm, authorities had issued warnings and ordered 14,000 people to stay indoors.
This incident highlights the increasing danger of wildfires in the region, with Catalan regional president Salvador Illa noting that such fires are now “extremely dangerous” and often “beyond the capacity of extinction.”